I'll Be Missing You
by KellyMortimore
Summary: Devastation strikes One Tree Hill and some have to cope with the loss of loved ones.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: ** I've finished another story of OTH and I hope that you like it. If you want a happy story, you probably shouldn't start reading this one because it's anything but. Btw: I am a fan of Naley and Leyton so what I've done to them isn't what I think should happen to them on the hit CW drama "One Tree Hill". Tell me what you think. I always appreciate your comments :)

_**Chapter 1**_

Haley pressed the back of her hand to little Jamie's forehead like her mother had done to her when she was little. "Yep, you're warm bud. Go back to sleep and I'll call the school."

She kissed his cheek and pulled the covers up to his chin. Obediently Jamie closed his eyes and tried to go to back to sleep.

Haley quietly shut the door behind her and trudged off into the kitchen. "How's Jamie?" Nathan asked as Haley slid past him to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"Not good. I think he's running a fever." Haley sighed, digging around the cabinets for some sugar.

"Are you going to stay with him?" Nathan asked, moving around her and grabbing extra sugar packages he had stashed in the drawer and tossing them to her.

"Ya, I need to call the school so they can find a substitute. I also need to call Jaime's school and let them know he's not coming in. Oh shoot! I still have to call the doctor." Haley frowned at the long laundry list that lied ahead.

"You know, Deb could always watch him." Nathan said.

"I actually gave her the day off today. Her and Skills booked a romantic cruise." Haley said with a shiver. "I _was_ gonna pick Jaime up after work and take him home because I don't have any meetings today, but I guess I can just stay home with him."

Nathan glanced at his watch. "Well, I have to go. Lucas and Skillz want to go over some new plays and then there's practice after school."

"Have a good day." Haley smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Call me if you need anything." Nathan said, sliding out the back door.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Peyton clutched her stomach as she slowly emerged from the bathroom. "You okay?" Lucas greeted her, worried by the green tint to her complexion.

"I think the shrimp I had last night was bad." Peyton was about to vomit by even mentioning food, let alone thinking about it.

"That or maybe you got the flu too. I just got off the phone with Haley and Jaime's sick. She's staying home with him." Lucas said.

"No, I've had the flu before. This isn't the flu. I feel…weird. And sick to my stomach." Peyton frowned.

"Do you want me to carry you to bed?" Lucas smiled, stepping towards her.

Peyton held up her hands to protest. "No, no! I don't want you to catch what I have!"

"You just said it wasn't the flu…and food poisoning isn't contagious…" Lucas laughed.

"Well I don't know what it is, and I don't want to risk you getting sick." Peyton said. Her stomach turned again and she flew to the bathroom just in time.

Lucas held her hair back as she heaved everything she had eaten last night and then some into the toilet.

With his free hand, Lucas wet down a towel in the bathroom sink with cold water and placed it on the back of her neck.

"Maybe you should see a doctor." Lucas suggested as Peyton lay back against the bathroom counter. She grabbed some toilet paper and wiped off her mouth before flushing the toilet.

"I don't know if I can make it there." She whispered through cracked lips, intertwining her fingers with Lucas's. "You have to go to work."

"I can skip it-"

"No you aren't. Go to work. I'll be fine." Peyton closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You aren't going to sleep here, are you?" Lucas asked.

"I don't think I can move without vomiting. So here is where I'll stay." Peyton replied softly.

Lucas let go of Peyton and disappeared. The wet towel on the back of her neck slid off and thunked against the bathroom tile. Peyton was too weak to even consider picking it up.

"Here." Lucas said, kneeling beside her. Peyton opened her eyes and lulled her head towards Lucas. He had a blanket in his hand and a glass of water. He tipped her head back and poured a little water into her mouth. It tasted refreshing.

He threw the blanket over her and bundled her up. "I don't want you to get cold." He kissed her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Lucas threw his coat and bag in the corner and slumped in his seat. He didn't want to come to work and leave Peyton at home puking her guts out. He felt really terrible.

"Knock, knock." Nathan said taking a seat in a chair that was in front of Lucas's desk.

"Hey, I heard about Jamie."

"Hey, I heard about Peyton."

"Is there any way we could skip practice and go home without them knowing?" Lucas wondered aloud.

"Afraid not." Nathan sighed.

The secretary from the main high school office knocked on the door. "The principal sent me down here to tell you Matthew and Brett were fighting in class today so they're banned from three games. Also, Logan is sick with mono and Tyler is now on house arrest."

"Please tell me you're kidding." Lucas said flatly.

"Sorry Coach Scott. I'm afraid not." The secretary frowned, turning around and walking back down the hall.

"I say the team should be doing some serious suicides today to make up for the loss." Nathan suggested.

"I agree." Lucas nodded, digging in his bag for something. "I was working on some new plays last night. You should take a look."

Glancing briefly at the complicated plays and numerous amounts of papers Nathan said, "I have a feeling we're gonna be here awhile."

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Haley had been scrubbing and cleaning all morning. It helped her calm her nerves and worries about Jaime. She had gotten a hold of the doctor earlier that morning and the soonest he could fit him in was tomorrow morning at 9:00.

Until then, she was to keep Jamie's fever down and he was not allowed to leave his bed.

Haley finished pulling all the curtains closed when she decided she should go check on Jamie.

"How are you feeling buddy?" she asked, pressing her hand to his forehead.

"I still don't feel good." Jamie mumbled, grabbing his stomach.

"I'm sorry sweetie. We're going to the doctor first thing tomorrow morning." Haley promised, kissing his forehead.

"When's papa coming home?"

"He'll be home-" Haley was interrupted by the doorbell. "He'll be home as soon as he's done with practice. I'll be right back."

Haley flew to the door hoping, for some weird reason, that it was a doctor or someone who could help Jamie.

She peered through the peephole and gasped quietly. Her trembling fingers chained the door before slowly backing away.

She scrambled for the phone but when she started dialing, the tone was dead.

"It's so easy to cut the phone lines." Carrie said through the door. Haley dropped the phone and reached for her cell phone. "And it's so easy to make sure your cell phone has no signal too."

Haley ran to the backdoor and chained it. "You think chains are gonna stop me?" Carrie cackled through the door.

Haley sprinted to Jamie's room.

"Momma? What's-"

"Shh. Come with me and stay quiet." Haley's shaky voice whispered as she wrapped her son in a blanket and swung him onto her hip.

She took off down the hallway and to the kitchen. She looked around and spotted the kitchen sink.

"Under here." She whispered. "Don't speak or make any noise. I'll come get you when it's safe."

Haley made sure Jamie was successfully hidden before grabbing a 10-inch butcher knife and from the knife rack that she kept on top of the refrigerator, out of reach for her youngest son.

She tiptoed to the front door and peered out the peephole. A startling crash made her jump.

Haley thought twice about running for help, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Jamie.

Taking a deep breath, she went towards Jamie's bedroom where she heard the crash.

"Hello Haley." Carrie smiled, cocking the gun.

Haley froze before the adrenaline clicked in. Before Carrie had a chance to fire, Haley picked up the lamp form her nightstand and yanked the cord out of the wall. With all her might, she threw it at Carrie. It shattered over her head.

Using that as a diversion, Haley sprinted out of the room.

Carrie trailed her into the living room.

Haley hid behind a wall and when Carrie came into close proximity, she plunged the knife into her chest. Carrie's eyes bulged and her finger slipped on the trigger, causing the gun to go off.

Haley ducked even though the bullet hit the ceiling. She watched in triumph as Carrie tumbled backwards with the knife protruding from her chest.

Haley turned to go to the kitchen but froze at the sound of a gun cocking. She slowly turned just as Carrie pulled the trigger.

The bullet pierced through her gut. The pain was so blinding that she stopped breathing for a couple seconds.

Losing consciousness and blood quickly, Haley grabbed a vase and smashed it against Carrie with all her strength she had left. Thankfully, Carrie blacked out so she could get away.

Haley tumbled forward and applied pressure to the bleeding hole in her gut. Her mothering instinct took over, so she picked herself up and wobbled off to the kitchen. She heard Carrie groan as she was coming to, so Haley veered off to hide. After all, she didn't have any more weapons to protect herself.

Not only that, she was losing too much blood and she feared she only had a matter of minutes left to live.

Then a wonderful sound came to her ears while she found a hiding spot.

The doorbell.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Peyton drove immediately to Clothes Over Bros after her doctor appointment. "She's at a business meeting in New York. It was last minute and she left in a hurry this morning." Brooke's new assistant explained.

"Do you know when she'll be back?" Peyton asked glumly.

"Tomorrow maybe." The assistant shrugged.

Peyton hung her head and trudged out the door.

00000000000000000000000000000000

She rang the doorbell for the fifth time at Haley's house. Didn't Lucas tell her that Haley was home with Jamie today? Where could they be?

"Haley?" Peyton called, resorting to knocking. No one answered. She heard soft movement, but other than that…nothing.

She turned back around and headed for her car.

Since she had no one to talk to, she knew that she was on the brink of a meltdown.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Nathan unlocked his front door and pushed it open. The door stopped after only a few inches. The chain bolting the door kept it mostly closed.

"Haley?" Nathan called through the crack in the door. No one answered. "Jamie?" He knocked on the door, hoping she would hear it.

After a few more seconds of silence, he shut the door and went around to the back. The sun reflected off glass shards that lay on the sidewalk.

He stared in horror at a broken window.

Nathan sprinted to the back door and struggled with the lock. He finally got it open but saw that Haley had chained that one too.

He pounded fiercely on the door. Fear was pumping fresh through his chest. "Haley! Are you okay?"

Still, no one answered. Nathan found a rock and shielded his eyes before driving it through the glass panel in the back door.

He pushed through the curtains and ignored the blood that was trickling down his legs and arms. "Haley!? Jamie!?" He sprinted to Jamie's room and skidded to a stop.

The bed was overturned, the closet was a wreck, his stuffed animals were everywhere, and he found glass on the floor.

A new surge of panic overwhelmed him as he started calling for them through the house.

He collapsed against the kitchen counter, numb with fear.

Through his panic broke a small whisper coming from under the sink. "Papa?"

Nathan crawled toward the voice and swung open the cabinet doors.

Jamie was huddled in the corner, knees to his chin. At the sight of his father, he flung himself at him and started crying.

Nathan sat back, rocking Jamie while trying to mask the fear that was bubbling inside him.

"She came back Papa! She had a gun!" Jaime managed to say through broken sobs.

"Who did?"

"Nanny Carrie!" Jaime buried his face in his shoulder. "Momma hid me."

"Do you know where Momma went?"

"No, but I heard gunshots."

Nathan got to his feet, keeping Jamie in his arms. "Stay right here." He commanded Jaime, setting him on the counter.

"Don't leave me! I don't feel good." Jamie clung to his neck.

"I don't know if Carrie is still here-"

"She isn't! I heard her leave awhile ago. She went through the window. She said that she was coming back for me. Aunt Peyton was here."

"Peyton is here?"

"No. She didn't come in."

"Okay, bud." Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "Just stay quiet for me, okay?"

Nathan pulled out his cell phone, but found he had no reception. He shut off his phone and turned it back on hoping that would help, but it still said no signal.

"Come on." Nathan sighed, grabbing Jamie and heading outside into the street. He stopped when he got a signal.

"Emergency operator. How may I help you?"

"I'm Nathan Scott. I live at 4347 Pine Avenue. I need the police and possibly an ambulance here right away." He shut his cell phone and hugged Jamie tighter to him. He noticed how hot he was. "You still have a fever?"

"Momma told me that my doctor appointment was tomorrow morning at 9:00." Jamie said softly.

Nathan took him to their car in the driveway and set him on the hood. He felt his forehead.

"I don't feel so good." Jamie mumbled, laying his head down on the hood.

"Okay. Just hang tight. Help is coming." Nathan rubbed his back. He searched for any sign of an ambulance or police car that was coming down the road. He heard and saw nothing. If only he could've stayed home today! None of this would've happened!

He looked down at his cell phone and saw that it was 5:15. He wondered how long Jamie had been under that sink.

He turned back towards his son and found his eyes closed. "Hey Jamie." He whispered, shaking him lightly. "You gotta stay awake bud."

Jamie didn't wake up. Nathan shook him again. Jamie didn't respond. Nathan pressed his ear against his chest.

Jamie's heart wasn't beating.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Peyton paced back and forth in her kitchen. She wanted to talk to Brooke or Haley, but both weren't answering their cell phones. Was it National Ignore Peyton day?

She jumped as she heard the front door open and Lucas start to call for her. Terror froze her. What was she supposed to tell him?

"Peyton?" Lucas called again, ambling into the kitchen. "Peyton! How are you feeling?" he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him.

"Uh…I went to the doctor today."

"Oh, really? Do you have the flu?"

"Well…uh…I'm gonna be sick." Peyton raced out of the kitchen and fled to the bathroom. She lifted up the toilet seat just in time.

Lucas poured her a glass of water and rushed it to the bathroom. While she was wiping off her mouth, he dug in the medicine cabinet for anything that could help her. "No, Lucas." She whispered, flushing the toilet.

"Did the doctor already give you medicine?" Lucas asked confused.

"No, this can't be treated with medicine." Peyton frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Peyton picked herself up. "I….can't do this." She rushed out of the bathroom and to her bedroom.

"What's going on Peyton?" Lucas asked, following her.

She sat down on the bed and stared at her hands. Tears were silently streaming down her face. "I had blood work done today. The doctor told me the results."

"Well?" Lucas asked after a minute of silence. Peyton started crying. Lucas kneeled in front of her and grabbed her hands. "Please tell me what's going on."

After a few tears were wiped from her face by Lucas, Peyton finally got the courage to look at him. "I want to tell you…"

"Then why aren't you?"

"You have more important stuff to worry about right now. I mean with Q dying and your basketball team and your book….I just don't want to stress you out even more." Peyton whispered.

"You-" Lucas cell phone cut him off. He looked down at the Caller I.D. "It's Nathan. Hold on." He flipped open his phone. "Hello?"

"Lucas! Carrie came back! She shot up the house and Haley's gone and I don't know where she went and I found Jamie hiding under the sink and I had to call the cops so I went outside with him and he laid down-" Nathan's panicked voice cried.

"Whoa! Slow down! What's wrong?"

"Jamie's heart isn't beating." Nathan sobbed.

"Oh my God!" Lucas whispered with wide eyes.

"The cops and ambulance are on their way but I don't know if Haley is still in the house. I don't know where she went."

"I'm coming right now. Start CPR." Lucas said, hanging up the phone and scrambling to get his jacket.

"What's going on?"

"Jamie's heart's not beating." Lucas sprinted out the door.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Jamie was in ICU on the Pediatrics floor. The doctors had gotten his heart to start again, and discovered that Jamie had the flu.

"You also told me that he was hiding under the sink when you found him, so there is a chance he was breathing in chemicals and lead which probably led to his heart stopping. It's curable, so you shouldn't worry." The doctor patted Nathan on the shoulder.

"Did you seriously tell me _not to worry_? My son's heart stopped beating and he's only 5 and you're telling me _not to worry_? What the hell-" Nathan swung at the doctor but Lucas got in the middle of it and pushed him out into the hall.

"Don't make me call security." The doctor called after Nathan.

"What's up with you? The doctor is trying to help. You can't hit him!" Lucas hissed.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Nathan whispered, hiding his face in his hands. "I'm so…freaked out and worried. My son is in ICU and he's really sick. I'm just…scared."

"Jamie is in good hands. You need to relax." Lucas sighed. Nathan slumped into a waiting room chair.

Lucas's phone vibrated in his pocket. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hey, it's Peyton. How's Jamie?"

"He's alive, thank God." Lucas sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Nathan on the other hand-"

"Bite me Luke." Nathan snapped.

"So what can I do?" Peyton asked.

"Go lay down. You're sick." Lucas laughed.

"I could swing by the hospital-"

"No."

"Maybe cook dinner-" Peyton offered.

"No, Peyton."

"I just can't-"

"You need to get yourself better. I promise I will call and leave a voicemail with updates. Just go to sleep." Lucas assured her.

Peyton was quiet for a minute before sighing. "Okay, fine. Call the house phone in an emergency. I mean it. Screw the getting better crap. If there is an emergency, you will call me."

"I promise." Lucas smiled.

"Alright then." Peyton pouted.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Goodnight." Lucas laughed before snapping his phone shut.

Nathan's head was swimming with random thoughts. He had to find Haley, but he wanted to make sure Jamie was okay. He didn't want his son to be alone.

"Nathan Scott?" a woman in a skirt and nice blouse asked. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun and the stray pieces that wouldn't fit were pinned to her head with bobby-pins. She looked like she had a stick up her ass.

"That's me." Nathan said, standing to shake the woman's hand.

"Is James Lucas Scott your son?" the woman asked, digging in her briefcase for a thick folder.

"Uh, yes. What seems to be the problem?"

"Could we speak somewhere private for a moment?" the woman asked. It wasn't a question. It was a demand. Nathan wasn't in the mood for demands.

"No. I'm staying here."

"Very well. I'm Mary Taylor." She straightened her blouse and stared him down. "I understand that James's heart stopped beating."

"It's Jamie. And yeah, it did."

"Well, the doctor has informed me that you found _Jamie_ under the sink which ultimately led to lead poisoning. We fear that Jamie is being neglected." Mary said.

"What!? I don't have time or patience for jokes lady." Nathan yelled.

"This is not a joke. I am a social worker for DHS and I've come to ask you a few questions before I go ask your son some."

"If you go anywhere near him I swear to God that will be the last thing you do." Nathan said through gritted teeth.

"Anger? Not a good start." Mary said through narrow eyes, scribbling something in the thick folder.

"Look….ma'am." Lucas said, moving in between Mary and Nathan before he had a chance to hit her. "Jamie is not neglected. He was home with his mother who happens to be missing right now."

"The mother left?"

"No, I didn't say that." Lucas said. "Haley, his mother, put him under the sink-"

"She has a mental illness?"

"Haley isn't crazy!" Nathan yelled.

"Cool it Nathan. You need to stay calm. Just go sit down. I'll handle this." Lucas said, nudging him off towards the chairs. He turned back to Mary. "Haley does not have a mental illness. She is a teacher at Tree Hill High School and Jamie was sick today. She decided to stay home with him. I don't know the whole story, but someone showed up at the house with a gun and Haley hid Jamie before he could get hurt. Nathan was at work during all this so he doesn't entirely know what's going on. He's upset so please don't hold his anger against him."

"What relation are you to the child?"

"I'm Jamie's uncle."

"Very well. I'm going to go talk to Jamie. Try to get a handle on that brother of yours, alright?" Mary ambled down the hall and out of sight.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Peyton fiddled with her cell phone. How was she expected to sleep with everything that was going on? She had to do something.

Her cell phone startled her as it started to vibrate in her hands. She was too impatient to check caller id. "Luke? What's wrong?"

"Guess again P. Sawyer." Her friend laughed on the other end. "I just checked my voicemail. And you've left me a thousand different-"

"Jamie's heart stopped beating."

"WHAT!?"

"Well, they got it to start up again but he's in the hospital. I don't know the details, all I know is that Jamie's really sick and Haley is gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"She's missing. No one can find her."

"Well, I'm coming home. I should be there in a few hours if I can get a flight." Brooke said before hanging up.

Peyton clicked off her phone and toyed with it nervously. Her problem seemed so petty compared to what was happening now. Maybe she should just put her problem on the backburner…

Peyton's phone vibrated again, making her jump. "Hello?"

"Hey, I won't be home tonight. I'm going to stay at the hospital with Jamie. Is that okay?" Lucas asked.

"Ya, that's totally fine. I understand. Where's Nathan?"

"I convinced him to go look for Haley. He's going to start back at the house and then backtrack from there. Apparently, the police are still taking pictures of everything outside. They haven't even made it in the house yet."

"Well, it's almost dark. They better hurry."

"Ya, I guess."

"Did you even catch the story? I mean we know that Jamie is really sick and Haley is missing but what happened?"

"I don't know. Nathan doesn't even know. He did say Jamie mentioned something about Carrie, but he had spiked a fever of 105 by then. He was probably delusional. They're just now getting his fever down from 106."

"That's horrible." Peyton whispered. "I feel so bad. I feel like I should be there-"

"No. Stay home. Get better." Lucas interrupted. "You never did tell me what the doctor said."

"It doesn't matter. I'll tell you later." Peyton replied quickly. "If Jamie's awake when you go to see him, tell him Aunt Peyton loves him."

"Who's Peyton?"

"Haha very funny. Love you. Bye." Peyton hung up the phone and tossed it across the room before anyone had a chance to call again.

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Nathan walked under the yellow police tape in his house. The small town cops that were stationed at various points where the most damage was done didn't do their job very well. They had been there close to three hours, and still hadn't searched the whole house for Haley.

They were still hung up on trying to decide who's blood was on the living room floor and who exactly had broken into the Scott's house with a gun.

"There seems to be some blood on the carpet in the living room. We're going to give the sample to the lab as soon as possible."

"Good, thanks." Nathan whispered rushing into his bedroom. He didn't want to look at the mess anymore. He didn't want to see the blood. He didn't want to jump to conclusions. And he didn't want to be in this house with Haley missing.

He scoped the room to see that everything was in perfect order. It's like no one had touched it.

Nathan moved around the bed and over to the closet. The door was slightly ajar, but other than that everything was fine.

He shut it, hearing a tiny whisper. He was sure he was hearing things so as he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of a small pool of blood just outside the door.

His heart kicked into overdrive. The adrenaline was pumping fresh in his system and his head was feeling lighter and his eyes were heavier.

He swung open the door and flipped on the closet light. There, lying in the corner was a woman with a bullet hole in her gut. Her arm was draped over the wound and it looked like all the life was drained out of her. Blood had soaked through her shirt and had now stained her hands a light red. Her lips were white and cracked.

Her chin was to her neck, and all the color was drained out of her face. Once the light clicked on, the woman raised her head fractionally because that was all she could muster. "Na—Nathan?" she whispered meekly.

"Oh my God!" he yelled, lunging for her. "Haley!"

He knelt down beside her and started sobbing.

"Shh." Haley managed to say. She was in too much pain and she was half dead. "Is……..Jamie…….okay?"

"He's in the hospital." Nathan said, putting one arm under her knees and the other on her back. "Throw your arms around my neck and hold on." He said, crawling toward the door with her in his arms.

He got up, feeling his back protest, and rushed out of the bedroom. "Just hold on Hales." He whispered in her ear as her head lolled toward his shoulder. Her arms had no strength so they fell lifeless. One on her gut, one swinging by her side.

"Open the door! Someone open the door!" he yelled at the gawking police.

One rushed obediently and opened it quickly. "Who is that?"

Nathan didn't answer. He sprinted to his car and laid her in the backseat. He turned on the ignition and raced like a bat out of hell to the emergency room.

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_**A FEW HOURS LATER….**_

The distant sound of a heart monitor flat lining murmured in the back of Nathan's mind. He didn't know what hospital he was at or where he was. The only thing that had been racing through his mind since he flew 100 miles per hour down an interstate was "Get Haley help."

A familiar face sprinted down the hallway at him. Maybe he had gotten the right hospital. Lucas wouldn't have known where else he was if he wasn't at the same hospital Jaime was at.

"What's going on?" he panted.

"Mr. Scott?" a doctor with blood splattered across her scrubs asked, emerging from double doors that was marked "Personnel Only".

"What's going on?" Lucas repeated frantically as Nathan only lifted his head fractionally. He knew what was coming.

"We did all we could for her, but she lost a lot of blood. I'm really sorry." The doctor bowed her head out of sympathy before backing out of the room.

"Who is she talking about?" Lucas yelled his voice an octave higher than normal.

Nathan zoned out, not hearing anything around him. He fell into a state of catatonia as the doctor's words clicked into his head. It only took him a minute to realize the severity of it.

"What did she say?" Lucas whispered, not believing what he thought he had just heard.

Nathan blinked a few times, hoping that all of this would vanish. "We'll never know what happened." His mind automatically built up a wall, blocking the pain he knew was going to hit him hard if he would accept that Haley was-

"Haley's dead!?" Lucas cried.

"Jamie's okay, right? I mean he hasn't woken up yet?" Nathan's distant voice asked, turning towards Lucas.

"Nathan! Haley's-"

"I'm gonna go see him." Nathan said, getting up from his chair and ambling down the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Brooke threw her arms around Peyton as soon as she answered the door. "I haven't been to the hospital yet. I wanted to come get you first."

"Well, I've actually been sort of sick-"

"It's not contagious, is it? Cause I'm sure Jamie won't want to catch what you have when you come visit him with me tonight." Brooke smiled, patting Peyton's shoulder before making her way towards the kitchen.

"No, what I have is not contagious-"

"Well that's good. Are you ready to go?" Brooke asked, eyeing her sweats and ratty t-shirt.

"Give me a sec." Peyton grumbled, trudging off to her bedroom.

Brooke rummaged around the refrigerator, hoping to find something that would help the hunger that was building in her gut. She settled for some jello that was hidden behind the milk carton.

As she was eating it up, Peyton emerged from the bedroom in a black t-shirt and dark jeans. "You clean up well P. Sawyer." Brooke smiled. "A little eyeliner does wonders for a girl."

Peyton rolled her eyes and slipped on her shoes just as her cell phone buzzed on the counter. This buzz was so much different than all the other buzzes her phone had made in the past. It made Brooke stop eating mid-bite and Peyton stop worrying about her problem.

This buzz made her so scared to answer the phone and get the bad news. She had a feeling something was seriously wrong. "Answer it." Brooke whispered after the fourth buzz.

Peyton slowly flipped it open and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Peyton!" Lucas sobbed.

Her eyes grew wide, which made Brooke put her jello down. "Lucas? What's wrong?"

"It's Haley. Nathan found her." Lucas said.

"So she's there with you?" Peyton asked. He didn't answer. "Well Brooke is back in town and we're coming to the hospital now if-"

"She's dead Peyton. Haley's dead." Lucas whispered.

Peyton's eyes emptied as her phone slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor, breaking into pieces. She slumped against the counter, a heaviness setting in her chest.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked softly.

Peyton looked up at her tears forming in her eyes. "We need to get to the hospital." She managed to whisper. "They found Haley."

"Well, that's good. I mean you did-" Brooke examined Peyton as she started to sob. Then Brooke got it.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Both girls were sobbing wrecks all on their way to the hospital. Once they passed through the first set of double doors, they swore that they were going to stay calm and collected so they could be a rock for Nathan and Jaime.

The elevator doors swung open and Brooke drug Peyton to the front desk with her. "Hello," her quivery voice greeted. "We're here to see Haley Scott."

The nurse flipped through her papers and shook her head. "Haley Scott isn't up here anymore. They've just moved her down into the morgue."

Pain tore through the girls' chests. "No crying." Brooke whispered to Peyton, biting her quivering lip herself.

Peyton caught sight of Lucas down the hallway, getting something from a vending machine. "Lucas!" Peyton cried, sprinting towards him.

Brooke followed, thanking the nurse beforehand. Lucas looked up and dropped the candy once he saw his sick fiancée running towards him.

Before he knew it, she had crashed into him and was sobbing uncontrollably. The sound of hurt and pain in her voice made him lose it as well. "I'm sorry!" Peyton cried. "I'm so sorry!"

"I can't believe she's dead." Lucas sobbed. "I can't talk to her anymore. I can't hug her anymore. I can't laugh with her anymore. She's gone. She's really gone."

The heartache and pain slowly built up in Brooke's chest and grew to her throat. It was getting harder to hold back the tears.

Peyton sobbed more as she clung to Lucas's chest, wanting to put him back together in one piece. The pain she heard in his voice was like part of him had died with Haley. She didn't how she would react when she would see Nathan or Jamie. "I'm so sorry, baby." Peyton whispered through her cries.

Before long, Brooke was tearing up but she refused to let go as much as Lucas and Peyton were.

Someone had to be the rock.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

"We need to make funeral arrangements." Brooke said softly. Lucas didn't move from the position he had taken on Peyton's lap, but Peyton looked up from rubbing his back.

"You should probably ask Nathan when he comes out." She whispered.

"I don't want to bother him." Brooke frowned.

"Well…why don't we just make the arrangements so Nathan and Lucas don't have to worry about it?" Peyton suggested. Lucas grabbed her hand and rubbed it.

"Ya, okay." Brooke sighed. "Should we ask Nathan?"

Peyton nodded.

Silence fell once again over them. Brooke looked around at all the kids in pediatrics. One was a small bald girl, no more than six, who was hooked up to an IV and walking down the hallway taking in everything around her.

A small boy in a wheelchair wheeled past them. Even though he was obviously sick, he gave Brooke a warming smile before continuing on.

It brought tears to her eyes.

"Nathan!" Peyton called. Brooke snapped her head in the direction she was yelling. Lucas did the same.

Nathan ambled down the hallway and waved towards them. "Hey Brooke. I thought you were away on business."

"I was," Brooke said suspiciously. "But I heard about Jamie and Haley and I got the first flight I could."

"You didn't have to do that. Jamie's fine." Nathan shrugged. "Wow, Luke. You look like crap. You should go home and get some rest."

Brooke and Peyton exchanged glances as Lucas sat up and eyed him.

"Look, Nathan I was wondering if Peyton and I could take care of the funeral arrangements for you. It'll give you more time with Jamie to explain all this to him." Brooke said softly and full of sadness.

"Sure. Whatever." Nathan said quickly.

"Nathan-" Peyton started.

"Mr. Scott!" a doctor called.

"Oh! That's Jamie's doctor. I better go." Nathan said sprinting down the hall to a man in a white lab coat.

"Well, at least he's handling it well." Brooke sighed.

"He's not handling it at all." Peyton argued. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

"First stage is denial." Lucas said softly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **This chapter is dedicated to _sammieleigh793_ because her recent review made me laugh. Thanks so much sammieleigh! I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

_**Chapter 6**_

Jamie's discharge papers were signed by the doctors. Nathan spent every waking second at Jamie's side. Lucas had been in there twice to try and talk to him, but Nathan would always interrupt.

"This isn't healthy!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Just let him deal with it in his own way Brooke." Peyton sighed. "Haley meant everything to him. His mind most likely built up a wall to protect himself from the pain."

Lucas dug his hands in his pockets and headed down the hall towards the two girls. "They're going to let Jamie go home. He has a prescription and he's supposed to stay out of school for a couple days."

"Oh God! School!" Peyton covered her mouth. "Who's going to tell the school about Haley?"

"I'll do that." Brooke volunteered. "I'll meet you over at your house tonight so we can start arranging things. Lucas, it would probably be best if you kept Nathan company for awhile. Just in case…"

Lucas nodded. "I'm really worried about him. He isn't handling this right. It's like he's numb or something."

"The human mind has a strange way with dealing with traumatic experiences. He's gonna find that middle he needs to survive sooner or later. It's just going to take awhile." Peyton assured him.

"I should probably call Haley's parents." Lucas whispered after a few seconds of silence. "I'm sure Nathan won't tell Deb or Skillz so I can do that to." Tears started forming in his eyes. "I wonder what they're gonna say. I wonder what I'm gonna tell them."

Peyton threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him. "You don't have to worry about anything Lucas. Brooke and I are going to handle all of this."

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

"Where's Mama?" Jamie asked on the car ride to their house. Lucas, who was in the passenger seat, threw a glance at Nathan.

"Hey, have you heard Britney Spears's new song Luke?" Nathan smiled, switching on the radio and turning it up.

"You have to tell him." Lucas said, turning the music down.

Nathan looked at Lucas. "No, I don't think that's it. It's called 'Womanizer'." He turned the knob back up.

Lucas's cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Luke. It's Brooke. I was just checking up to see how you were."

"I've been better." Lucas admitted.

"How's Jamie?"

"He's been asking about Haley but Nathan hasn't told him yet."

"Told me what Uncle Lucas?" Jamie asked over the music blaring from the speakers.

"I think your daddy should tell you." Lucas hinted.

Nathan turned up the music louder.

"Luke? Are you still there?" Brooke asked.

"Ya. I'm still here." Lucas yelled over the bass. "I'll call you when we get home. If I still have ears by then."

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Brooke dialed Deb's number. "Deb?"

"Yes. This is." Deb giggled. "Antwon! Stop it!"

"Okay…eww." Brooke frowned. "I think you may need to sit down. But before you do put the phone on speaker."

"What's this about?" Deb asked, her tone changing to serious.

"Can you just put the phone on speaker so I don't have to call Skillz?" Brooke asked, taking a few deep breaths.

"Alright. It's on speaker." Deb said after the sound of a button clicking.

"Are you both sitting down?"

"We're both sitting down." Skillz echoed. "What's up Brooke?"

"Okay…this is probably the worst phone call I will have to make for the rest of my life. So here it goes." Brooke took a deep, cleansing breath and collected her thoughts. "Nathan found Jamie under a sink today. Apparently someone came to the house and started shooting and Haley managed to hide Jamie. Nathan couldn't find Haley so he took Jamie outside and called the cops. After the call Jamie's heart stopped beating and he was rushed to the hospital."

"Is Jamie gonna be okay!?" Deb interrupted.

"Yes," Brooke started to cry. "He's fine. He's actually on his way home with Nathan and Lucas right now. But that's not why I called."

"What's going on then?"

"Nathan found Haley and I guess she was shot by whoever came to the house yesterday afternoon. Nathan rushed Haley to the hospital." Brooke paused as she started to sob. "Haley didn't make it. She died this morning."

"If this is joke Brooke, this sure in the hell isn't funny." Skillz said.

"I'm not joking." Brooke cried.

"Haley's dead?" Deb whispered.

"Ya. Nathan isn't handling it well. Actually, he isn't handling it at all. Lucas was going to try to tell Jamie but I don't know if he has yet."

"Thank you Brooke." Deb whispered again.

Brooke clicked off her phone and tried to calm down before resuming her seat back at the kitchen table with Peyton who was guzzling her Sprite after another trip to the bathroom. "You still sick?" Brooke asked, drying her tears.

"Ya, I'm gonna be sick for awhile." Peyton shrugged.

"How long does the flu normally last?" Brooke said, taking a few cleansing breaths to calm herself down.

"I don't have the flu Brooke." Peyton sighed. "I went to the doctor today and he took some blood."

"So? What is it?"

"This is wrong. I shouldn't tell you with all this chaos going on." Peyton motioned towards the papers in front of them. Transportation requirements to get Haley from the morgue to the funeral home and then from the funeral home to the cemetery, bills from the hospital, cemetery placement papers, coroner's report, and lots of other morbid things.

"Come on P. Sawyer." Brooke encouraged. "Is your news as bad as a death?"

"You probably shouldn't guess." Peyton grimaced.

"Oh god. You're dying aren't you!?" Brooke exclaimed.

"What'd I just say about not guessing?"

"You're gonna be sick for awhile…? You shouldn't tell me with all this chaos going on…? I probably shouldn't guess what's wrong…?" Brooke said. "Those are all things leading to something bad."

"Brooke-"

"I can't lose another friend Peyton. This is all happening too fast as it is and if you-"

"It's not that Brooke." Peyton interrupted. "I'm pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **This chapter is dedicated to _ReeseHolden_. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

_**Chapter 7**_

When Lucas, Nathan, and Jamie got home the house was clean and spotless. Brooke and Peyton had called Mouth and Millicent to lend a hand, and they reluctantly obliged and spent all morning cleaning after the police had come up with no new leads and closed the crim scene. No evidence of the horrible thing that happened was anywhere in sight.

Nathan put Jaime to bed and stalked off to the kitchen to find Lucas. "Jamie's in bed and he should be fine. You should go home to Peyton." Nathan said.

"I really think I should stay here."

"Look, man. I've got everything under control. Jamie should be getting better soon."

"The first stage is denial."

"What are you talking about?"

"The five stages of grieving." Lucas sighed. "I knew you were always stubborn, but there comes a time when you need to start dealing with the horrible things that are happening."

"I don't know what you're talking about Luke."

Lucas's cell phone rang and he hesitated before picking up and answering it. "Hello?"

"Hey Luke. It's Brooke. I think you should come home and be with Peyton. She's…uh…sick."

"Again?"

"She isn't going to get better anytime soon."

"Now really isn't a good time."

"Of course it is!" Nathan interjected, pushing Lucas towards the door. "I'll see you later." Nathan opened the front door and pushed him out and closed it again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Where is she?" Lucas asked once he walked through the front door.

"She's in your bedroom." Brooke said softly, stepping out of his way and going back to the kitchen to finish paperwork.

Lucas cracked open his bedroom door and peered in. Peyton was lying on her side, away from him.

"Peyton?" Lucas whispered.

Peyton sat up and turned to him. "Luke! I thought you were at Nathan's."

"Brooke called me and said that you wouldn't be getting better anytime soon…?" Lucas hinted, shutting the door behind him and sitting on the bed beside Peyton.

"Brooke." She muttered. "Honestly, you have nothing to be concerned about. Just focus on…" She was overcome with a wave of nausea and she covered her mouth, forcing the vomit back down her throat.

"Tell me what's wrong Peyton." Lucas said.

Peyton looked into his tortured green eyes as tears started to swell in her own. "The timing is wrong."

"I don't care. I care about you and what's wrong with you."

Peyton took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. "I'm pregnant Luke."

Lucas's eyes emptied and he slumped back against the bed frame. "You're…pregnant?"

"I'm about two months along. The first three are supposed to be the hardest but there is a chance I'm going to be sick…or sicker…throughout this whole pregnancy." Peyton looked back at Lucas and saw how distraught his face was. "That wasn't exactly the reaction I was looking for."

"You're pregnant." Lucas's distant voice repeated again.

"Yes, I am." Peyton laughed nervously. "Well…aren't you going to say something?"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know. Anything."

"I don't have anything to say. You're pregnant." He said. Each time he said 'You're pregnant.' It sounded more like he was trying to wrap his head around the idea of that being possible.

"Just go back to Nathan's. You're not needed here." Peyton dismissed, storming off to the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

Lucas sat on the bed for awhile longer, trying to let everything seep into his brain. Before long, Brooke came knocking on the door. "So…how did it go?" she asked, poking her head inside the room. "Where's Peyton?"

Lucas swung his legs off of the bed and stalked out of the room. "I'm going for a walk." He grumbled, shutting the front door behind him.

Brooke rushed to the bathroom and knocked softly. "Peyton?"

"Go away Brooke. You've done enough." Peyton sobbed.

"What's going on? Did you tell him?"

"Go away Brooke!" Peyton shouted through her tears. Brooke slowly walked back towards the kitchen, wondering what the hell had happened.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Brooke finished making most of the funeral arrangements and was working on the obituary when her cell phone rang. She checked the caller i.d. first before picking up. "Hey Luke."

"How is she?"

"She hasn't come out of the bathroom yet."

"Look, I'm-"

"I don't want to hear it Lucas Scott. Even though this might not have been the best time, the least you could do is be happy about the news of your child. Lord only knows how hard this is on Peyton to not have the child's father on board." Brooke shut her phone and turned off the ringer. She didn't want any more interruptions.

**_Haley James Scott was a beloved mother, wife, teacher, and friend. Some might go as far to call her a hero because of her amazing amiability and sincerity towards others. Not only will she be greatly missed, but she will always hold a special place in each one of our hearts._**

Brooke looked at the obituary she had written so far. Thanks to Millicent on help with the big words, she thought it was going pretty good so far.

"Peyton?" Brooke called, slumping back in her chair. "Are you okay? Should I bring you some water?"

Peyton didn't answer, like always.

"Come on. You've been in there for two hours." Brooke frowned, getting up and knocking on the bathroom door. "Please let me in."

There was no answer so Brooke pounded harder. "You can't stay mad at me forever P. Sawyer!"

Brooke grabbed a knife from a drawer and picked the lock.

The door came open with ease and she swung it open. To her surprise, Peyton wasn't there. "Great." She muttered to herself.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

Peyton bounced her leg anxiously as she sat in a waiting room chair. Magazines that said "Your Baby and You" or "What They Don't Tell You About Your Pregnancy" were sprawled out on the table in front of her.

"Miss Sawyer?" the woman at the front desk called.

Peyton jumped at the sound of her name before racing over to the window. "Ya, that's me."

"Have you filled out forms?"

"Yes, I gave them to the secretary before you came."

"Alright then, the doctor will see you now. It's room 602." The woman smiled motioning towards the door that led to a hallway.

Peyton followed the hallway down and to the right and watched the numbers climb higher and higher. 599….600….601…she stopped at room 602. She opted to take a seat in the chair rather than the table that was jetting from the wall.

"Miss Sawyer?" Dr. Teague asked, shutting the door behind her.

"Uh, yes. That's me."

"What seems to be the problem?"

"I got blood work done a little while ago and I found out I was pregnant. I'm having usual morning sickness and everything, but there's pain in the middle of my chest. It's like a sharp shooting pain and sometimes it's hard to catch my breath. I don't know if that's normal for pregnancy or not."

Dr. Teague dug a thermometer out from the drawer and put it under Peyton's tongue. "It's not normal to have pain in the center of your chest whether you're pregnant or not."

The thermometer beeped and the doctor read it. "Hmmm…" she said, wrinkling her forehead in thought. "Your temperature is 89.6. That's definitely below normal."

"What could be wrong with me?" Peyton asked, starting to panic.

"A number of things." The doctor said, sitting at her desk and writing something down. "Have you had to undergo a lot of stress lately?"

"Yes. I have to undergo a lot of stress everyday." Peyton sighed.

The doctor jotted down Peyton's answer before turning back towards her. "I think I need to do some more tests on you. Is it okay if you get blood drawn today?"

"Ya, of course. Do you know what might be wrong with me?"

"There's a number of possibilities." The doctor shrugged. "Have you noticed anything else that you might not consider normal?"

"Dizziness, migraines, I'm cold all the time, visions blurry on occasions, I'm bruising easily, pain in my right side, vomiting, nausea, heartburn…" Peyton trailed off.

"Well vomiting, nausea, and heartburn are very common in the first and second trimester. But dizziness, migraines, being cold, vision blurring, easy bruising, and pain in your right side are definitely not common." The doctor furrowed her brow and jotted something down.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Well, we'll get some lab work done and then you'll come back here so we can sit and go over the results." The doctor patted her leg reassuringly. "Just try to relax."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lucas walked through the front door of his house and searched for Peyton. "Where is she?" he demanded once he saw Brooke sitting at the kitchen table.

"I don't know. She took off." Brooke said. Making Haley's obituary was taking a toll on her nerves.

"What do you mean she took off? You weren't watching her?"

"She isn't a dog Lucas."

"I can't believe this! You're supposed to be her best friend and you don't even-"

"Knock it off!" Brooke interrupted with a yell, jumping out of her chair. "You have no right to come in here and start yelling at me for your mistakes! I have other things to do other than baby-sit your fiancée. If you would rather me do that, why the hell don't you sit down and make arrangements for Haley's funeral yourself!? Or better yet, why don't you work on her obituary because I have been busting my ass since I got home to get this stuff done for you and Nathan. So please excuse me if I couldn't find time in my busy schedule to look for Peyton. As for you, I'd suggest you get the hell out of here or you will be stuck with everything by yourself Lucas Scott."

Lucas turned and stalked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Brooke sunk back into her chair and buried her face in her hands. The stress and pressure of everything was really taking a toll on her. She couldn't do this.

The sound of the front door opening awhile later made her snap her head up. "Hello? Who's there?"

A tear-stained Peyton appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Peyton? What's wrong?" Brooke asked, rushing over to her as she started to sob.

"Can we just not talk about it?"

"Ya, sure. Come on. Let's get you laid down." Brooke rubbed her back and walked her into the bedroom.

%%%%%%%%%%%%

Brooke finally finished the funeral arrangements later that night. Peyton was still sleeping in the bedroom, so she took this time to call Lucas.

"I found Peyton, but she doesn't want to see you. Give her some time to cool down and come back in a couple of days. The funeral arrangements are done so pass the word along to Nathan." Brooke said to his voicemail.

"Brooke?" Peyton called.

Brooke shut her phone and rushed into the bedroom. "You're awake."

"Ya. I needed it." Peyton laughed.

"So where did you go?" Brooke asked abruptly, shutting the bedroom door behind her and sitting on the bed by Peyton's feet.

Peyton propped herself up and wiped away the start of tears. "The hospital."

"Please tell me you didn't…" Brooke asked with wide eyes.

"No Brooke. I didn't get an abortion." Peyton frowned.

"That's a relief." Brooke sighed.

"I have preeclampsia. It's extremely rare in the first trimester of pregnancy, only one in a million women have it. I guess I'm that one." Peyton started to cry.

"I don't understand Peyton. What the heck is pre—ec—c—"

"Preeclampsia."

"Whatever. What is it?"

"Preeclampsia can lead to eclampsia which is seizures, kidney failure, and death in the mother and fetus…but the death part is rare."

"Oh my God! What can you do?"

"The main treatment for preeclampsia is to give birth. Since I have about 6 or 7 months, that isn't a possibility." Peyton sobbed.

"So you have to…"

"That or let it develop more and go under the risk of me getting eclampsia." Peyton shrugged as Brooke handed her a tissue.

"That's almost suicide Peyton. I don't want you to die over a kid."

"But it's my kid Brooke. It deserves to have the best shot it can possibly get." Peyton sniffled.

"All those symptoms you described are very serious and could kill you."

"Could being the operative word there."

"Peyton-"

"I've thought about this a long time Brooke. I'm going to carry this child for as long as possible." Peyton said seriously. "And I don't want you to tell Lucas. Or I swear to God I will never talk to or look at you again."

"Peyton! Come on! Are you kidding me?"

"No. I'm not. I know how Lucas will react. I don't want him to know anything at all."

"Lucas has a right to know!"  
"He's been through too much already. Haley's dead, Jaime's sick, his fiancée is pregnant…I mean I don't want to throw another problem into the mix. Just please keep quiet. Please." Peyton stared at Brooke to convey her message.

"Fine." Brooke finally agreed. "I promise."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

After Peyton's shower, Brooke ambushed her in the kitchen. "Funeral arrangements are done. Lucas is headed over here. You and I need to seek shelter elsewhere."

"Slow down Brooke. What's the rush?"

"I thought you were avoiding Lucas."

"Ya, but I mean he isn't here right now. Can I at least get some wat-"

"Brooke? Peyton?" Lucas called from the front door.

"Damn it!" Brooke whispered. "Come on! Out the back!" Brooke grabbed her purse and tiptoed behind Peyton to the backdoor. They were just about out when Lucas caught them.

"Peyton! Brooke!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Just run P. Sawyer." Brooke whispered to her as they stood frozen in their stealth positions in the doorway. "If your bony ass falls behind, I'm leaving you to the wolves."

"No Brooke." Peyton whispered back to her. "Let's face this like adults."

"Running is adult-ish."

Peyton turned and faced Lucas and Brooke followed her lead.

"What are you two doing?"

"Trying to leave." Brooke answered.

"Peyton? Can I talk to you?" Lucas asked.

Brooke looked at Peyton before stepping aside to let her through. "We can talk here." She said, crossing her arms.

"Fine. I'm sorry for yesterday. I was just caught off guard."

"Well I wasn't exactly planning this either."

"I think you could've picked a different time to tell me though-"

"Do you really want to spend another night at Nathan's?" Peyton hissed.

"I didn't stay at Nathan's because he was sleeping on the couch and I wasn't exactly going to sleep on the floor. So I rented a motel room."

"Fine. Then would you like another night in a motel room?"

"You told me the day after my best friend died!"

"You were begging me Lucas. I was putting it off and putting it off and then finally I couldn't anymore. _That's_ when I told you and _that's_ when you let me down." Peyton countered.

"Like I said, I was caught off guard!"

"Look Lucas," Peyton sighed, taking a deep breath. "I care about you, but I can't do this if you aren't going to be here for me."

"I am here for you Peyton!"

Peyton looked at Lucas longingly, wishing that he had truly meant it. "No Lucas. That's the thing. You can't be here for me because of everything that's happened with Haley and that's not your fault."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you don't need the stress and pressure of me right now. So maybe it's better if-"

"Don't even finish that sentence. I love you. I care about you." Lucas walked towards her and wrapped her arms around her. Peyton was long overdue for a much needed hug, so she didn't resist. "Nothing is going to come between us."

"I love you to Luke." Peyton whispered into his neck.

"Okay you two bipolar love birds. Maybe we should all head over to Nathan's to check up on him now that we have side-stepped a landmine." Brooke suggested. "Keep it G-Rated in front of little Jamie please."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Daddy?" Jamie called, sitting up in his bed.

Nathan, who was passing by his door poked his head in. "Ya?"

"Can I leave my room now?"

Nathan walked in and pressed his hand to his son's forehead. "You don't seem to have a temperature. Are you feeling okay?"

"Ya. I feel fine."

"Okay, well I'll make you some breakfast. Come into the kitchen." Nathan took his son's hand and led him into the kitchen and set him on a stool. "Okay…uh…what do you want?" Nathan looked around the kitchen, completely lost.

"Do you even know how to cook daddy?"

"No, but I can try." Nathan laughed airily.

"Nah, it's okay. Momma will cook me breakfast." Jamie smiled.

Nathan braced himself on the sink, trying not to let the pain of Haley's death seep into his mind.

The doorbell went off, saving Nathan from telling Jamie.

He rushed to answer it and once the door was open, Carrie was standing there. "Hello Nathan." She laughed. "Is the wife around?"

Nathan tightened his jaw and clenched his fist. "You."

"Yep." She smiled. "Me. Your little boy isn't a liar. I've come back to do the job."

Carrie was halfway in the doorway, pulling out her gun, when Nathan slammed the door at her knocking her backwards. He chained up the door and locked it before sprinting to the kitchen.

"Breakfast will have to wait bud." Nathan whispered, swooping him into his arms and running him into his bedroom. Flashes of finding Haley blurred his vision as he swung open his closet and put Jamie inside. "Huddle in the corner."

Nathan grabbed his bedspread off his bed and threw it over Jaime. "I'm coming back for you. Just stay quiet."

"Why can't I go to my room?" Jamie asked.

"Stay quiet." Nathan hissed, shutting his closet door.

The sound of glass shattering made Nathan's heart race. He grabbed a bat from under his bed and gripped it.

"Found ya." Carrie laughed, as Nathan came around the corner to the living room. "What are you gonna do with a wooden bat?"

Carrie fired the gun, making the bat explode into thousands of wooden splinters. Nathan dropped it and tried to think of a plan. "Do you know this is the exact room I shot Haley in?"

Anger built up inside him.

"Your wife did get a chance to stab me first, but I ended up the victor in it all. Just one shot to the stomach did her in." Carrie taunted, cocking the gun. "It was nice knowing you Nathan."

The sound of Nathan's backdoor coming open, made Carrie stop pulling the trigger. In walked Lucas, Brooke, and Peyton.

"Well, it's party." Carrie laughed as they all froze in shock.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Don't move." Carrie demanded.

Lucas inched his way to stand in front of Peyton and Brooke. "I **said** _don't move_!" Carrie yelled. Peyton gripped Lucas's arm.

"What are you gonna do Carrie? Shoot all of us?" Nathan laughed.

"That's the plan." Carrie smiled.

"Well that plan sucks." Brooke scoffed. Carrie aimed the gun at Brooke and squeezed the trigger a bit as a taunt.

Peyton jumped in front of her. "Don't shoot."

"Peyton." Lucas hissed.

Nathan darted his eyes to his left and saw a vase. '_Perfect_.' He thought. In one movement, the vase was in his hands and then flying at Carrie.

He watched it smash against her head and in turn, she dropped the gun. He picked it up as she regained her balance and aimed it at her.

Nathan pulled the trigger, watching the bullet pierce through all the tissues and muscles in Carrie's stomach. He didn't stop with one either. He kept pulling the trigger, putting more holes in Carrie as she fell lifeless to the floor.

Lucas pulled his arm but Nathan shoved him away and pulled the trigger until all the bullets were gone. Even then he just resorted to beating her in the head with the gun.

Brooke, Peyton, and Lucas stood back in horror until Lucas finally stepped forward and yanked him off. He still swung his arms through the air and flailed his legs. He managed to get a couple more good kicks in. "That's enough Nathan." Lucas called over his yelling. "That's enough!"

"No! Let me go! Let me finish it!" Nathan screamed.

"It's done man. She's gone." Lucas said. Lucas's words hung in the air deafeningly. Everyone knew that Lucas wasn't talking about Carrie.

Nathan fell limp in Lucas's restricting arms. Once Lucas knew that Nathan wasn't going to go beat up on the body anymore, he let him go.

Everyone watched as he crumpled to the floor and started sobbing, finally letting his wall down and allowing the reality and pain of Haley's death in.

The scene of Nathan crying made everyone's heart sink.

"I didn't keep my promise." Nathan sobbed.

"What promise?" Brooke whispered kneeling next to Nathan.

"On…the…way…" Nathan tried to breathe deeply to get a handle on himself. "On the way to…the hospital, Haley was in the backseat. I was in such a panic that I almost missed what she said." Brooke rubbed his back as he calmed down more. "She said, 'Forever and Always'. I knew she wanted to give up so I said, 'I'm going to get you to the hospital and you are going to live. I promise. Just hold on.' I watched her in the rearview mirror as she smiled at the hope. Now she's gone."

Nathan sobbed louder, making Jamie come out of his room. "Daddy? What's wrong?"

"Go back to bed buddy. We'll explain later." Peyton said softly.

"I can't be here anymore." Nathan cried, picking himself up and rushing out the door.

"Where's daddy going?" Jamie asked.

"He just needs some time." Peyton reassured everyone. "Give him some time."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

The pain.

The gut-wrenching horrible pain.

That was all Nathan felt. He was finally feeling what it was going to be like in his life without Haley there.

He threw another shot of vodka into his mouth and slammed the tiny glass down on the bar counter. The alcohol wasn't helping the pain, but it was making him slowly lose consciousness.

"Hey Nathan." A different bartender greeted him. Nathan glanced up to see it was Owen. "How long have you been here?"

"A couple hours." Nathan slurred with a slight shrug. "I need more." He pushed the empty glass to him.

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking? Shouldn't you be getting home to Jamie and Haley?"

Nathan glared at Owen with so much fury behind his eyes that Owen had to take a step back. "I need more." He said through gritted teeth.

"Alright. Alright." Owen surrendered, putting his hands up as if Nathan had a gun.

Owen took the empty glass and poured more vodka in it. He slid the glass back over to Nathan. "I'll be back. I need to make a phone call."

Nathan grabbed the shot glass and downed it while Owen went outside.

"What do you want?" Brooke's angry voice answered. "You have no right to call me."

"Nathan's wasted. I just started my shift at Dublin's Pub about 5 miles from Tree Hill. I think he's been here for a couple hours."

"Alright." Brooke sighed before the call ended. "I'm coming."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Brooke swung open the door to the bar and rushed in. Owen, who was cleaning a table near the door, motioned to Nathan at the counter.

"Nathan?" Brooke called softly. "Are you okay?"

"No." he grumbled, laying his head on his arms.

"Let's go home." Brooke suggested, nudging him to get up.

"No."

"Come on." She sighed, trying to get him to his feet. Nathan swung and hit Brooke across the face, causing her to stumble backwards. Brooke caught her balance and held up her hand to Owen so he wouldn't come over.

"Nathan," Brooke said softly, approaching him again. "We need to go."

Nathan looked up to glare at her, but stopped suddenly. It wasn't Brooke he was looking at. It was Haley.

"Haley?" he whispered. Nathan reached up to touch her, but the image changed back into Brooke.

"Nathan…?" Brooke asked heavy with concern.

"Where'd she go?" Nathan demanded. "What did you do with Haley?"

"I didn't do anything-" Brooke was cut off by Nathan's hands around her neck. He slammed her back against the bar.

"Nathan!" Owen yelled, sprinting to Brooke's rescue.

Owen yanked on Nathan and managed to pull him off. Brooke collapsed to the floor in gasping sobs.

"What did you do with her?" Nathan screamed, fighting against Owen's restricting arms.

"I didn't do anything with her Nathan." Brooke sobbed. "She isn't here anymore. She's dead."

Owen stared at Brooke in shock as he let go of Nathan. "I don't need this." Nathan hissed, fixing his jacket and walking towards the door.

"Jamie needs you Nathan. We haven't told him." Brooke sobbed, turning towards him. Her heart really went out to them.

Nathan stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I'm begging you to at least still care about him. He needs you. He's already lost his mom. He doesn't need to lose his dad to."

"I can't do it without Haley." Nathan whispered, tears falling silently down his cheeks as he stood facing the door. "I can't do anything without her. My whole life was her. Now she's gone, and my life's gone to."

He pushed open the bar door and disappeared into the night.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

Brooke shook her head in defeat as she trudged in through Lucas's door the next night. Nathan had been missing for a full twenty-four hours.

"When's daddy coming back?" Jamie's innocent voice inquired, coming up on the three adults standing in the hallway.

"Soon, honey. Why don't we go get you some dinner?" Peyton smiled, grabbing his hand.

"Can I have a piggy back ride Aunt Peyton?" Jamie asked.

Peyton threw a look at Brooke who widened her eyes with warning. "Not today sweetie. But how about if I promise to make you a big huge ice cream sundae?"

"Ya!" Jamie cheered, skipping to the kitchen with Peyton being dragged along behind him.

"I'm worried about Nathan." Lucas said, the dark circles under his eyes growing more prominent by the hour. "He's never just disappeared before."

"Well it's hard on everyone." Brooke sighed.

"Ya, I know." Lucas said, hanging his head. "I just wish I could do something. I was thinking maybe I could check the bars or call Haley and ask her-" His voice choked off as he buried his face in his hands. "I don't know what I'm saying anymore."

"You haven't slept for 27 hours. Don't blame yourself. Just go lay down." Brooke whispered, rubbing his back.

Lucas trudged off to the bedroom and Brooke shut the door behind him.

"Please don't come out until you've at least had 8 solid hours of sleep." Brooke said through the doorway.

"Aunt Peyton?" she heard Jaime call. "Aunt Peyton are you okay?"

"What's going on?" Lucas asked, voice lined with anxiety.

"Nothing Lucas. Don't worry. I'll check it out. Go to bed. I mean it." Brooke was surprised how controlled she kept her voice cause on the inside she was screaming as she sprinted down the hall to the kitchen.

"Jamie? Where's Peyton?" Brooke demanded, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"I don't know. I looked down for a second and when I looked back up she wasn't here." Jamie frowned.

Brooke took a deep breath as she peered around the counter. She held in a scream as she saw her friend lying there.

"Jamie, honey." Brooke's shaky voice whispered. "Go play in Lily's old room please."

He didn't argue as he bounded up the stairs.

"Peyton, honey? Please wake up." Brooke whispered, kneeling next to her.

She shook her and tapped her face, hoping to get a reaction. "Wh-what happened?" Peyton groaned as she came to.

"Oh thank god!" Brooke exclaimed, throwing her arms around her and starting to cry. "You scared the hell out of me P. Sawyer!"

"Did I faint?" Peyton guessed as she sat up, still hugging Brooke.

"Ya." Brooke nodded, pulling away. "If this kid is going to do this to you, then why would you put yourself through that?"

"You wouldn't understand." Peyton frowned, picking herself up off the floor. Brooke joined.

"Try me."

"This kid is mine. And any kid that is Peyton Sawyer's is going to have a fighting chance whether it kills me or not."

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. There will be other chances to get pregnant Peyton. I'm not asking you to get a hysterectomy." Brooke argued.

"You can't be sure."

"I know that it'd be better than letting you do this to yourself. It's practically suicide."

"You're like a broken record. Repeating the same damn things." Peyton scoffed. "I'm tired of arguing. This is my choice to make. And if you aren't okay with that, then leave."

"You need me here more than you think you do." Brooke said through gritted teeth. "The only reason I'm putting up with this is because of the recent tragedy that has permanently scarred each and every one of us."

"What tragedy Aunt Brooke?" Jamie's small voice came from behind her.

"Uh," Brooke flickered her eyes to Peyton nervously before picking Jamie up in her arms. "We have something to tell you."

"Is it about Momma? Cause I miss her. When is she coming home?"

"She isn't buddy." Brooke sighed, setting him in a chair. "Something really bad happened to your mommy."

"What?"

"Well, she got hurt and the doctors couldn't help her. She…um…" Brooke looked at Peyton for help.

"She's in a better place now bud." Peyton offered with a half-smile.

"Why did she leave?"

"She didn't want to leave. She had to leave. You see…uh…" Peyton looked back at Brooke for help.

"She passed on. She can't come back. And everyone is incredibly sad about it. And it's okay if you're sad too." Brooke whispered, rubbing his back.

"She died?" his innocent voice inquired as tears started to form in his eyes.

"Yes, honey. I'm so sorry."

Jamie jumped down and ran down the hall to Lucas's door. He pounded on it really hard before Lucas answered. "Jamie?"

"Momma isn't dead, is she?" Jamie sobbed.

Lucas's bottom lip quivered at the sight of young Jamie. "Ya, Jamie. I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"No! No! No!" Jamie wailed, sinking to the floor.

Brooke had to turn her head away from it, because it was making her sob.

"Come here." Lucas cried, picking Jamie up in his arms. "It's gonna be okay."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I feel terrible." Brooke grumbled, resting her head on her arms at the kitchen table.

"So do I, but Jamie had a right to know." Peyton sighed. "He hasn't come out of Lucas's room for almost a day now. Should I go in there?"

"Nah, leave him alone. He'll come out when he's ready." Brooke said softly. "Lucas isn't back from looking?"

"No. He said he was going to the police station to so hopefully that'll go well." Peyton pushed the newspaper at Brooke and pointed to the obituaries. "You did well."

Brooke only nodded before turning the paper over. "I can't believe the funeral is tomorrow."

"Me either. I'm not ready to say goodbye to her."

"I don't think anyone is." Brooke whispered.

The kitchen door opened and Lucas trudged in. "I've got nothing, and I need help moving flowers."

"Flowers?" Brooke and Peyton said at the same time.

"Ya, the things that are blocking the front door." Lucas sighed. "I went over to Nathan's and it's worse over there. We should get them moved to the funeral home."

"You don't have to worry about it Luke. Brooke and I will do it. Just take care of Jamie. He still hasn't come out of your room." Peyton said, kissing him quickly on the lips and moving past him out the back door. Brooke followed.

"Holy cow." Brooke exclaimed at the sight of the mass amounts of colored flowers that cluttered the whole front porch of their house. "This is going to take all day."

"Well we better get to it." Peyton laughed, starting to pick up potted plants.

Brooke unlocked the back of her car so they could put the flowers inside.

After a couple hours, the flowers were successfully stored on every inch of Brooke's car.

"To the funeral home?" Brooke asked, jumping in the driver's side.

"Ya, then we'll hit Nathan's." Peyton nodded, jumping in the passenger's seat.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Here it is! The last chapter! Everyone has been really great in the reviews. Two more fanfiction's are on the way one is based pretty much around Leyton and the other is only Naley. I'll hopefully have both posted by the end of this month if my perfectionism doesn't get in the way :D Thanks so much everyone and I hope you enjoy!

_**Chapter 12**_

Dark clouds rolled overhead. Everyone had brought umbrellas, already predicting the downpour that was about to come.

The first drop landed on Lucas's head, making him look up momentarily.

Peyton grabbed onto his hand, making his attention turn back to the casket being carried from the hearse to the grave.

Tears swelled in Lucas's eyes as he watched them lower his friend into the cold dark ground after the preacher spoke his peace.

"Momma." Jamie cried as the rain started to pour down. Brooke turned her head away from the small cry of the child and so did Peyton. His voice was so heartbreaking. "Momma!" Jamie jumped towards the grave but Lucas let go of Peyton and grabbed him around the waist.

"No Uncle Luke! Don't let them take her! Don't let them take her!" Jaime kept bawling. Lucas was crying right along with Jamie.

"Give him to me." Deb whispered as Skills put up an umbrella over her. Lucas handed Jamie to her without argument.

The cemetery cleared as the rain pounded down harder. Peyton and Brooke took shelter under an umbrella while Lucas just stood there staring at his best friend's casket lying in a watery grave.

He was completely drenched and totally out of it.

"Lucas." Peyton whispered, stepping out from under the shelter of the umbrella and taking his hand. "We should go."

"I'm not ready to leave just yet." Lucas whispered back, eyes drained and empty.

Peyton nodded and looked back at Brooke to signal for her to go home.

"Peyton, don't you think you should…?" Brooke hinted, standing beside her.

"No. I'm staying with Luke. I'll meet you back at home." Peyton nodded.

"I'd rather be alone." Lucas argued without emotion.

"The last thing you need is to be alone right now Lucas. I'm staying with you. Brooke, I'll meet you at home." Peyton said.

Brooke wanted to argue more, but instead she turned and left.

Peyton and Lucas stood out in the rain for the rest of the night.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Thank you officer. You're very kind. Yes, I'm coming right now." Brooke nodded, shutting her cell phone. "I'll be right back Peyton. You can look after Lucas and Jamie for a little while, right?"

"Ya, why?"

"They found Nathan."

"Where?"

"The cemetery."

"But me and Luke were there all night…we didn't see him."

"All I know is that they found him lying by her grave with a vodka bottle in his hand early this morning. I guess he hasn't woken up so they took him to the hospital."

"Oh God. That's terrible."

"Don't tell Luke or Jamie. The last thing they need is to worry about Nathan."

"I won't." Peyton promised as Brooke shut the back door behind her.

The noise must have woken Lucas because he came trudging into the kitchen awhile later, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What time did we get in?" he croaked.

"Around four." Peyton said, flipping the pancakes cooking in the skillet.

"Wow. That late? What time did I get to bed?"

"Around six. You decided to take a shower."

"I've only been asleep for two hours?" Lucas asked, glancing at the clock on the kitchen wall.

"Ya, and I'm very proud of you. That's the most sleep you've gotten this whole week." Peyton smiled, stacking the pancakes on a plate and sliding them to Lucas who took a seat at the kitchen counter. "I was thinking maybe you could go to the doctor and see if he could prescribe you some sleeping pills."

"Like a psychiatrist?"

"Well…yeah." Peyton shrugged. "There's no harm in it. You need to sleep. It's unhealthy if you don't."

"And what time did you go to sleep?" Lucas challenged, cutting his pancakes and shoving them in his mouth.

"Late enough." Peyton lied, turning back around.

"Honestly Peyton? I'm not going to quit bugging you until you-"

"I didn't go to sleep." Peyton said with a sigh. "There. Happy? Now eat your breakfast."

"Why?"

"Because I was up all night worrying about you." Peyton admitted sheepishly. "I've been so worried that Haley's death would crush you and leave nothing left. Having to face all these difficulties by myself would be so hard. I mean I have Brooke but-"

"What difficulties?"

Peyton bit her tongue, mentally cursing at herself for letting it slip. Fortunately, she thought up a fast lie. "You know, Nathan missing, Jamie crying himself to sleep every night, You not sleeping…" Peyton didn't add anything about his breakdown at Haley's funeral yesterday, but mentally added that to the list.

"You don't have to worry about any of that." Lucas assured her. "How are you feeling by the way?"

"Fine Luke. Don't worry about me." Peyton smiled.

"Of course I'm going to worry about you." Lucas said. "With Haley gone, you're the only woman I have left in my life that means the world to me. I don't think I could live if something bad happened to you."

His words struck a chord with Peyton, making her internally cringe with guilt. "Oh, yeah?" she laughed nervously.

"Yeah." Lucas nodded, taking another bite of his pancakes.

Peyton's cell phone broke the silence and she scrambled into the living room to answer it before it woke Jamie. "Hello?"

"I need you to get down to the hospital." Brooke's voice tore through.

"What? Why?"

"It's bad." Brooke finally sobbed. "Nathan died this morning shortly after they brought him in."

"What!?" Peyton gasped, covering her mouth. "How?"

"The doctor's said that it was too much strain on the heart from the alcohol consumption."

"I can't come. Lucas is up." Peyton whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Well I'll be home as soon as I can." Brooke cried. "God, this is gonna just kill Jamie."

"I know." Peyton whispered, clicking off her phone and trudging back into the kitchen.

"Who was that?" Lucas asked, rinsing his plate in the sink.

"I think you should sit down."

Lucas turned off the water. "What? Why?"

"Please Luke." Peyton pulled out a chair and he sat in with a little bit of hesitance.

"Brooke just called." Peyton said after a little while. "The cops found Nathan this morning at the cemetery by Haley's grave with a bottle of vodka in his hand."

"So where's he now?"

"Well, they took him to the hospital to check things out…." Peyton tried to stop the tears, but a few managed to escape from her eyes. "He died Lucas. Nathan's dead."

"What?" Lucas whispered after awhile. "He's….dead?"

"I'm so sorry."

"What am I supposed to tell Jamie?" his voice quivered as soon as the realization of breaking the news to him sunk in.

"I don't know. I can tell him if you want." Peyton whispered through her tears.

"No, no. I've got it." Lucas said after awhile, trudging off to his bedroom in a catatonic state.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"In the words of Edna St. Vincent Millay,

'Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave  
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;  
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.  
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.'

And as the sunsets on this sorrowful day, our hearts and minds will go to the two whose love could not even escape death. Rest in Peace Nathan Scott." The preacher said, closing his bible and bowing his head.

Peyton stood there numbly beside Lucas who was holding Jaime's hand as they lowered his father into the grave.

"Please don't ever leave me Peyton." Lucas whispered, inclining his head fractionally towards her. His voice was so pleading and full of pain; it made her heart ache to hear him like that.

"We're gonna get through this Lucas Scott. Together." Peyton whispered back, grabbing onto his arm.


End file.
